Chiesa di San Pietro alla Carità ("Church of Saint Peter to the Charity" in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

) is a

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Tivoli, Lazio Tivoli ( ; ; ) is a town and in Lazio, Central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine Hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinus cites Cato th ...

. The church is one of the oldest in Tivoli and its present appearance is due to 12th-century rebuilding and restoration in 1951 following the bombing suffered during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Inside is a

cosmatesque Cosmatesque, or Cosmati, is a style of geometric decorative inlay stonework typical of the architecture of Medieval Italy, and especially of Rome and its surroundings. It was used most extensively for the decoration of church floors, but was also ...

floor.

Description

The church has a brick façade with three doors that lead to the central part of the church building. At the top are two side windows with a center circle under the eves. A bell tower is decorated with

Cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

s and arched windows. The interior is characterized by a

floor that adorns the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, with the works art in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

of the main altar, "Christ crucified between the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist", dating from the fourteenth century and the "Madonna Enthroned with Saints Peter and Paul", dating from the thirteenth century.

History

The church was built in the

5th century The 5th century is the time period from AD 401 (represented by the Roman numerals CDI) through AD 500 (D) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The 5th century is noted for being a period of migration and political instability throughout Eurasia. ...

at the request of

Pope Simplicius Pope Simplicius (died 2 or 10 March 483) was the bishop of Rome from 468 to his death on 10 March 483. He combated the Eutychian heresy, ended the practice of consecrating bishops only in December, and sought to offset the effects of Germanic i ...

, a native of Tivoli, on the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, which probably belonged to Quinto Cecilio Metello Pio Scipione Nasica. The church named after the

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

from a legend, that the Christian community was founded by the apostles that met in this building. The first mention of the church is found in the biography of

Pope Leo III Pope Leo III (; died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death on 12 June 816. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlem ...

, in the ''

Liber Pontificalis The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biography, biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adr ...

.'' Between the 16th and 17th centuries the church underwent heavy modifications. In 1951, restoration was made after the bombing suffered during

when the church was returned to the city.

In popular culture

In the third season of ''

Medici (TV Series) ''Medici'' () is a historical drama television series created by Frank Spotnitz and Nicholas Meyer. The series was produced by Italian companies Lux Vide and Rai Fiction, in collaboration with Spotnitz's Big light productions, Big Light Producti ...

'', scenes featuring

Girolamo Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola, OP (, ; ; 21 September 1452 – 23 May 1498), also referred to as Jerome Savonarola, was an ascetic Dominican friar from Ferrara and a preacher active in Renaissance Florence. He became known for his prophecies of civic ...

at the convent of San Marco were shot at the church of San Pietro alla Carità in Tivoli. The facade and bell tower are seen when Savonarola preaches to the crowd of Florentines, and the interior in some scenes.

Gallery

File:Nef_de_San_Pietro_alla_Carita_de_Tivoli.JPG, Interior view of San Pietro alla Carità File:Dallage San Pietro alla Carita de Tivoli.JPG, Cosmatesque-style paving of the San Pietro alla Carità File:01 000910 tivoli v d este 02 carita.jpg, Villa d'Este: a view of the garden and the old town from the main floor File:Chiesa di San Pietro alla Carità.jpg, Front view of the San Pietro alla Carità

References

External links

Church of Saint Peter to the charity
{{Authority control Churches in Rome